Mason County, Illinois: commercial real estate data.
Mason County, Illinois has a population of 12,745 across 539 square miles, down 4.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $633.8 m in 2024, 255 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1 7(a) approvals worth $500,000.
106 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Mason County
How many people live in Mason County
- Population12,745
- Households5,781
- Average household size2.20
- Median household income$62,845
- Median age45.4
- Median gross rent$802 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$103,400
- Home value to household income1.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher17.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over9,219
- Population under 182,647
- Share under 1820.8 percent
- Population 65 and over2,939
- Share 65 and over23.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 647,159
- Civilian labor force5,674
- Unemployment rate4.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over56.2 percent
- Rank by population among Illinois counties82nd of 102
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2302nd
Mason County is the 82nd largest of 102 Illinois counties by population. A median home costs 1.6 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.1 percent against 20.8 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Mason County
Is Mason County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-4.15 percent
- Census 2020 base population13,086
- Births, 2024120
- Deaths, 2024183
- Natural change, 2024-63
- Net domestic migration, 202413
- Net international migration, 20246
- Total net migration, 202419
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-129
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2915th
The county has lost 4.15 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Mason County
Where people moving to Mason County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving302
- People arriving, from those returns586
- Adjusted gross income arriving$13.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$43,626
- Largest single originMason County Non-migrants (5,006 households)
- Largest single destination (5,006 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mason County Non-migrants | 5,006 | 9,810 | $333.7 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 119 | 217 | $5.2 m |
| Tazewell County | 75 | 168 | $3.4 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 52 | 88 | $2.4 m |
| Logan County | 35 | 76 | $1.3 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 27 | 47 | $1.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 25 | 41 | $1.1 m |
| Fulton County | 21 | 37 | $879,000 |
The largest single source of arrivals is Mason County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Mason County
What the Mason County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$633.8 m
- County GDP, 2023$603.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.9 percent
- GDP change over five years52.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Illinois counties81st
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2231st
- GDP per resident$49,728
Output grew 4.9 percent in the latest year and 52.4 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Mason County
Who employs people in Mason County
- Covered employment, annual average2,828
- Establishments reporting298
- Average annual pay$42,271
- Average weekly wage$813
- Sector 44-45, employment350
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$27,740
- Sector 62, employment319
- Sector 62, average annual pay$31,021
- Sector 42, employment190
- Sector 42, average annual pay$68,921
- Sector 31-33, employment124
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$64,489
- Sector 52, employment111
- Sector 81, employment84
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 350 | 42 | $27,740 |
| Sector 62 | 319 | 21 | $31,021 |
| Sector 42 | 190 | 20 | $68,921 |
| Sector 31-33 | 124 | 11 | $64,489 |
| Sector 52 | 111 | 17 | $72,499 |
| Sector 81 | 84 | 27 | $34,025 |
| Sector 23 | 70 | 21 | $54,385 |
| Sector 54 | 22 | 7 | $44,274 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 350 jobs, 12.4 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Mason County
What businesses operate in Mason County
- Establishments, all industries255
- Employment at those establishments1,974
- Annual payroll$88.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Mason County
What is being built in Mason County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20246
- Declared construction value permitted$2.0 m
- Single family units authorised6
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$329,306
- Units authorised per 1,000 households1.0
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Mason County
How much SBA lending happens in Mason County
- 7(a) approvals recorded1
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$500,000
- Average 7(a) approval$500,000
- Median 7(a) approval$500,000
- 10th percentile approval$500,000
- 90th percentile approval$500,000
- Largest single approval$500,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)8
- Jobs per approval8.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer100.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter0
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals100.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countGasoline Stations with Convenience Stores (1)
- Most active lenderByline Bank (1)
The average approval of $500,000 sits close to the median of $500,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 100.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Mason County
Do SBA loans in Mason County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 1 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Mason County
How big is Mason County
- Land area539 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Illinois counties48th of 102
- Width, east to west39.8 mi
- Height, north to south26.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land24
- Establishments per square mile0.47
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Mason County
What hazards affect Mason County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book7
- Of those, participating in the NFIP6
- NFIP participation rate85.7 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Mason County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Mason County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population12,745
- Households5,781
- Average household size2.20
- Median household income$62,845
- Median age45.4
Common questions
Mason County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Mason County, Illinois?
12,745, in 5,781 households, ranking 82nd of 102 Illinois counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Mason County growing?
The population has fallen 4.15 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 120 births against 183 deaths, with net migration of 19. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Mason County?
$62,845. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $103,400, which is 1.6 times income, and median gross rent is $802 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Mason County?
255 establishments, employing 1,974 people with an annual payroll of $88.9 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Mason County?
Average annual pay is $42,271, or $813 a week, across 2,828 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Mason County?
1 7(a) approvals totalling $500,000 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $500,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Mason County?
6 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $2.0 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Mason County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Mason County come from?
The largest single origin is Mason County Non-migrants, with 5,006 households. Arriving households report an average income of $43,626 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Mason County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Mason County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.